Apparatus for dispensing soft frozen food products are of commercial interest for installations in retail establishments, wherein they are operated by customers or employees for dispensing soft frozen products into individual containers such as serving dishes or edible cones. Soft serve products, i.e., chilled or soft frozen products, are maintained within such a dispensing apparatus at a temperature which is not so low as to prevent the extrusion of a continuous stream or ribbon of the mixture, yet not so high that the extruded product is sufficiently fluid that it does not retain its shape for a period of time in the container.
It is thus important that such a soft serve product is maintained within a temperature range which is appropriate for dispensing the particular product. Typically, this may constitute a range of only several degrees, falling between about 0.degree. F. to 20.degree. F. for soft frozen confections such as ice creams and yogurts, but the range may differ with respect to different types of products. For example, temperatures suitable for the dispensing of products with relatively high fat contents, such as ice creams, are lower than those appropriate for low-fat products, such as dietetic yogurts and the like. Excessively low temperatures often have deleterious effects upon the taste and consistency of the product, which may crystallize and become undesirably hard and which may not flow consistently during operation of the dispensing apparatus. The temperatures at which such soft frozen confections are maintained for dispensing the products are thus rather critical, and they are somewhat higher than those preferred for storing the products.